State’s Top 500 Tax Debtors Owe $129 Million

FTB Archive Disclaimer: Archived content is not current and may contain broken links. It remains online for historical reference or research.
The search function above allows you to search archived and current content separately. If you need archived content in a different format,
contact us.

Sacramento – The Franchise Tax Board (FTB) today updated its Top 500 Delinquent Taxpayers list with 316 individuals and 62 businesses comprising the new list. Combined they owe the state more than $129 million in income tax.

In August, FTB sent letters to 500 taxpayers who were scheduled to appear on the list if they failed to resolve their tax debts. One hundred and twenty-two taxpayers resolved their accounts prior to the list’s publication. The Top 500 list is published twice a year in April and October.

In October 2007, FTB began publishing a list once per year of its top 250 tax delinquencies. In April 2012, the list was expanded to 500 names published twice per year. Since its inception in October 2007, more than $371 million has been collected through FTB’s Top 250 and Top 500 processes.

Being on the Top 500 Delinquent Taxpayer list carries added provisions including:

Publishing professional license information.

Suspension of state-issued licenses including driver’s licenses and occupational or professional licenses.

Prohibiting state agencies from entering into contracts with listed debtors.

Publishing the names and titles of corporate officers of the top 500 listed corporations.

FTB removes a taxpayer from the list once the tax is paid or the taxpayer agrees to make payments under an approved installment agreement or offer in compromise. Tax liabilities under appeal, in litigation, or in bankruptcy proceedings are not included on the list.

Personal income taxpayers on the list can contact FTB at 888.426.8555 to resolve their accounts. Business taxpayers can call
888.426.8751.

The Board of Equalization has a similar list of the state’s top sales and use tax debtors, which they update quarterly.

FTB administers two of California's major tax programs: Personal Income Tax and the Corporation Tax. FTB also administers other non tax programs and delinquent debt collection functions, including delinquent vehicle registration debt collections on behalf of the Department of Motor Vehicles, and court–ordered debt. Annually, FTB’s tax programs collect more than 65 percent of the state’s general fund. For more information on other taxes and fees in California, visit taxes.ca.gov